Every Last Piece
by Samswimmer
Summary: Sure, the black king was captured, but if Link thought he was done, he's about to find out that life doesn't work like a chess match. The enemy won't surrender just because their leader is down, and allegiances are never so obvious as colored figures. Fairly short prologues serve as a better introduction than this. T for blood, death and possible swearing. Pairing not a focus.
1. Prologue A: Crimson Perfect Day

**A/N: So, here it is. I guess I can try writing something. After all, I came to FFN several years ago, and I've only submitted an English project from almost as long ago. So anyway, I don't actually know what this will be yet, but I figure I'll find out by the time I'm done, right? Here I go...**

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**§ Prologue: Crimson Perfect Day** **§**

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He hadn't had a day like this in weeks. He had been so busy that he just hadn't gotten the chance. But now, as he lazily floated along on his blood-colored steed, he was as happy as he could be. And as morbid as the analogy seemed, it was perfect. He couldn't live without his crimson mount anymore than he could without his crimson flow. Here, hovering above the clouds as he used todo so often, he felt at home and relaxed.

This was about where he was certain something would go wrong. After all, every good hero knows that when everything seems perfect, the façade is about to collapse. Groose had even left the new village near the volcano, named Kakariko, to go add some "amazing and brilliant" new idea to his invention at the Sealed Grounds. It just had to be too good to be true. After a quick glance around, he saw it coming. A tornado, black as a gathering storm, was headed straight toward him. But no, it was a trick of the light. The twister was real, of coarse, but the darkness was just a shadow from another cloud. A combination of this optical illusion and his deep-seated alertness acquired from his travels. Mistaking nothing for a threat is better that the other way around, he'd learned.

But anyway, the whirlwind was just an ordinary swirl. And his image of a perfect afternoon was not so fragile as he had imagined.

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In a musty room, the sunlight from above failed to break the dark gloom of the chamber. The chamber had kept mysteries of world-changing weight, and had many times become a pivoting point of fate. A place where the ultimate end of gods of heaven and hell's worst devils would be decided. Demons and angels would meet here and learn the outcome of their intertwining and ever conflicting schemes. It was a battlefield in which both sides had, in their times, prevailed.

And so, it seemed, it was altogether fitting that a pale being sat there, hatred glowing in his eyes as he schemed. Every ounce of hatred was matched with a gleam of sinister satisfaction. Two things had gone his way today. First off, he had finally found his course of action. That though alone was enough to make him smirk. It was only sweetened by the sight of the youth he was using as his chair. The adolescent's hair matched the color of his cape. The same crimson that stained the ground around him and had finally ceased to flow from the piercings all over the boy's body. Yes, today was a perfect day.

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**A/N: Suddenly, I have an idea forming in my strange little head. Maybe somebody might enjoy it as much as I hope I will. Feel free to tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is preferred but I know how much effort that takes, so a simple "good job"/"bad job" is equally encouraged. Even flames are okay, because they mean I was noteworthy enough to be worth an insult. If that's too much work, then just hit the little check-box and move on with your life. As the final alternative, if you feel so inclined, just hit the back button and find yourself a story you like more. Whatever your choice, I hope you enjoyed the prologue, and I hope you have a good day.**


	2. Prologue B: Waiting

**A/N: So here's the second prologue, I guess. I decided I needed one for each game because the stories are independent, and therefore need their own starting points. Obviously, the plan is that they won't stay independent, but they have to come together, they won't start together. Well, here it goes. For the record, this is after Kingdom Hearts 3D came out, just in case anybody looks at this after more games have come into existence and rendered this obsolete. I apologize in advance, I know this prologue won't be as interesting, because not much is happening on the KH side initially.**

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**§ Prologue: Waiting §**

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"Finally!" Sora cheered.

"It's about time," commented Riku.

Sora glared at before responding, "It only took two tries!"

Riku smirked and said, "Yeah, you're right. I have to give you some credit. That's fewer times than anybody was expecting."

"Hey!" Sora exclaimed, becoming indignant as Donald, Goofy, and Lea snickered. As usual, Yen Sid stood stoically quiet in the background.

King Mickey only smiled.

Yen Sid, after a few moments' pause, stepped forward. "You have deserved this for a great while, and it is my pleasure to finally grant you this well-earned reward. Sora, I name you a true Keyblade Master."

Donald spoke up, loudly announcing his ignorance, as he often does, "What was that? You already said that!"

Goofy tried to help clear things up for his friend, "Well, Donald, he only said that Sora passed. He has to make it formal, I think."

Never one to lose track his goals, Lea inquired, "So this is great and all, but what do we do now?"

At this, everyone looked toward where Yen Sid and his majesty were standing together, expecting guidance from their leaders. Realizing this, Mickey glanced toward the wizard before answering, "Well, we we discussing that earlier, and we decided that the best thing for you all to do is to go back home and train. Lea doesn't need much, but Kiari could use quite a bit of practice. Sora and Riku need to keep in form anyway."

The pair from Disney Castle's court became visibly disheartened at this, realizing that they would have to leave their friends again. Who knew how long it would be before Xehanort actually began his attack? He was shrewd and cunning, and they might have to wait years before something even happens.

Without much fanfare, the group gave a few small goodbyes before Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Lea departed for departed for Destiny Islands in Sora's gummi ship. Upon arrival, they set to work showing Lea around, making arrangements for hid housing, readjusting to life as usual, and of course, training.

At first, just waiting for Xehanort to begin everything seemed an eerie and foreboding prospect, but soon they settled into the normalcy of their old life.

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**A/N: So... there is was. Ta da! Hope you enjoyed. Or at least I hope it helps establish where in the story you are coming in.**


	3. Chapter 1: Kakariko

**A/N: I think it's about time to get started with the actual plot. These first few are the chapters you should read and decide, '****_do I really want to read a whole story from this author?_****' Hopefully, the answer will be yes. Enjoy!**

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**§ Chapter 1: Kakariko §**

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Link landed his crimson loftwing near his home in Kakariko and began unloading the remainder of the supplies he had brought for his afternoon excursion. Just when he had nearly made it inside his home he was stopped by Zelda, much to his annoyance. That's not to day he didn't like her around, he was just tired. It was getting into the later evening, and he had been flying all day. Contrary to the belief of some, this can actually be exhausting. Sure, napping on the back of a bird isn't too bad, but it shouldn't be too hard to understand that even if it wasn't an ebony terror like the one that had started his adventure a short time ago, flying against a tornado was not easy.

It was through these thoughts that her voice pierced, "hello, Link. How was your day off?"

At least she wasn't asking a favor or anything. "It was really nice and relaxing. At least until the twister," he replied, hoping to satisfy her curiosity and end the conversation quickly.**  
**

"That's good. Yeah, those cyclones can be pretty exciting. You definitely deserved a break. Anyway, I'm glad I found you here. I was wondering if you could do something for me," she said, ruining both his relief and hope from just before.

Link was typically fairly quiet, choosing to allow his actions to speak for him; however, Zelda could usually coax him to use his vocal chords. She wasn't especially convincing, he was just comfortable around her and knew that she preferred it when he spoke. That said, he was still drowsy and in want of sleep, so he responded, "unless it's an emergency, I'd really appreciate it if it could wait until morning. I'm actually very tired."

Understanding his position, she nodded, "I'll let you get to bed then. Goodnight, Link!"

"Night, Zelda," he said, and promptly walked into his house, still carrying the last of the supplies from earlier.

And with that the conversation was over, and he was finally able to get his much needed sleep.

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Link was awoken by his bird, as per usual. As he began to get ready for the day ahead, he tried to remember what he was supposed to do today. He knew there was something, but-

"Link! Are you ready to help search the caves?" Oh right.

He turned to the mayor of Kakariko and nodded. When the Statue of the Goddess fell to the earth, many decisions had to be made about what to do next. As the people of Skyloft had always been followers of the Hylia and she had decided to stay on the surface, it only made sense that they would come with her. In addition to this, Hylia had only placed them in the sky to keep them safe from the danger that had been conquered through the falling of her statue, so there was no longer reason for them to be so elevated. Lastly and weightily, the leader of Skyloft, Gaepora, just happened to be the father of Hylia's mortal form, so it made sense that he would push for the group to follow. Given that they were no longer to live in the heavens, they needed to figure out what to do, what to call themselves, and where to live.

The first two questions were easily answered. They would do pretty much what they did before. Grow food, make items, trade at markets, and build back up their small civilization. They elected to call themselves Hylians after the Goddess they served.

The last question took a little work. Due to his adventures, Link clearly was the most experienced with the surface, so they left that up to his discretion. He was looking to settle in Faron, because it generally seemed to be the most hospitable environment. Soon, however, he changed his mind. The entirety of Faron was liable at any moment to be flooded as the dragon of the same name saw fit. Once he realized this, he immediately moved on to his alternatives. That left Lanayru and Eldin. Lanayru couldn't support a population. It was a desert. It simply wouldn't work. Eldin, despite its harsh conditions, seemed quite promising. The land, although difficult to work with, was not totally barren like Lanayru. Its dragon also seemed less subject to destructive whims than the forest province's did. Also, the some of the caves offered a refuge in case of an eruption (though the right caves would have to be very carefully selected) or even in case of an attack. Which brought Link to the current situation. In order to make use of the caves, the town had asked Link to assist in scouting them thoroughly (not that he hadn't already).

Link fairly lazily led the party through the caves that would be safe to turn into parts of their new town and steered them away from those caves which connected to the volcanoes magma chamber and would fill up during an eruption. The band, much to his annoyance, started at every little Keese, and they nearly bailed at the sight of a Bokoblin. As typical, Link disposed of them without a second though or a moments hesitation. The ease at which he vanquished his opponents gave his little group a bit of confidence, and they seemed to be a lot less anxious by the end of the voyage. Even so, he was glad to not be responsible for them any longer.

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"How was the trip?" Zelda asked the returning troop.

Gaepora spoke up, "It was quite helpful. I'm quite certain now that Link made an excellent decision in picking this area for our new village. We'll probably begin utilizing the caves as early as next week."

"That's great," Zelda replied, noting Links facial expression during the exchange. "Link, why don't you come with me? We haven't talked very much recently. You've been so busy!"

Always glad to postpone his responsibilities when he could afford it, Link acquiesced to her request.

When they were sufficiently far away as to feel some privacy, Zelda inquired, "So what were you scowling about while my father was talking?"

Link smirked and answered, "So you were looking at me during that, huh?" He paused to let her blush a bit but continued before she could start a defense, "The entire group was cowardly. They were afraid of Keese. Keese! We had those in Skyloft! And he seemed a little surprised to say that I was right. Why wouldn't I have been right?"

Zelda looked at him with a mix of consolation and reprimanding and said, "They weren't exactly our top knights or anything. They were volunteers because all our knights are needed to help build the houses and marketplace. And as to my father being surprised, it only makes sense. No matter how trustworthy the sources, it's difficult to believe that the foot of a volcano could be a better choice than a fertile forest for settling. You can't really blame him for that one.

Link sighed, "I guess, but it still was annoying."

"And for the record, I just glanced over. I wasn't fixated on you or anything like that," Zelda said, choosing to retaliate to his previous comment at the risk of bringing up the topic. Fortunately for her, he let it go.

"I just wish I didn't have to spend my day doing something that felt so useless and unproductive," Link stated.

"Well, I might have something for you that's more important and worth doing," Zelda segued.

Link just sent a tired and questioning glance at he to signal that she should continues.

"Groose hasn't come back from the Sealed Grounds yet. He was supposed to be gone only for one night, and it's been three. I was wondering if you could go check on him," Zelda fielded the task, gauging his reaction.

He slumped his shoulders and gave another sigh. More things to do. Just what he wanted.

"Tomorrow. He can take care of himself, and I'm too tired of people right now to make the effort."

"Alright, but you have to go before noon," she instructed, "you can't sleep 'till dinner time."

He thought about the usefulness of arguing her statements, but ended up just accepting the rule and heading to bed. It wasn't very late, but like he said, he was tired of people. Looking ahead, he was potentially going to have to deal with Groose for a long time tomorrow. He would need the sleep.

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**A/N:**** If you notice any typos, I'd appreciate if you'd point them out. Not only would you be doing something to help me out with the story, but you'd also have something easy to review about. You wouldn't have to take the time to leave a thought out comment or even to type a good/bad job. You'd just have to copy and past the offending text. But also, it'd be great if you left a thought out comment or typed a good/bad job. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 2: Memorial

**A/N: The story needs sufficient introduction... which a bit unfortunate. I'm sure you readers might want to see some action, or at least some plot, but the plot I have in mind would be far to contrived to be believable without some sort of build-up to it. Even with it, it may be too much of a stretch. We'll see.**

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**§ Chapter 2: Memorial §**

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Link was flying toward the Sealed Grounds with the same diligence and ambition he displayed by rising every morning at dawn. As you might guess, this means he was sleeping though the task. Zelda had mandated that he leave before noon. Well, 11:59 is before noon. He didn't see why she was so mad about that. He was technically on time. It wasn't his fault if the whole world liked to get up when all decent people ought to be asleep.

As he approached the sealed grounds, his loftwing nudged him awake. After wiping the sleep from his eyes, he surveyed the land below for any sign of the annoying but as-of-recently good-hearted inventor. Link noticed that all of Groose's tools were sitting uncovered on the grass near the entrance to the temple, he didn't see any sign of their owner, so he assumed that he had gone inside the temple for one reason or another. The obvious thing to do, then, was to go inside himself.

Link was stunned by the sight that met him within the stone temple. Groose was there as he expected, but he wasn't working on some contraption or taking a breather from his work outside. He was lying on the ground, all gray and blue, in a puddle of stale blood. Link stood in the entryway, unmoving. He wasn't sure what to do. As best as he could tell, there was no immediate threat nearby, which was almost unfortunate. If there had been an enemy, . he would know what to do. He was very experience in that area. Also, it would have made it easier to figure out what had happened to Groose. But there was no malignant force nearby, leaving Link with no motivation to act, no story to tell the other villagers, and no clue what to do.

He waited for nearly a full three minutes before he heard a voice from behind the inactive Gate of Time, "I was wondering if you might show up at some point."

That voice was unforgettable. The demon lord who had chased Zelda all across the surface was here. When Link had killed the king, Link saw him disappear. He had thought that was the end of him, but here he was, the demon sword Ghirahim, strutting out from behind the massive stone gears as nonchalantly as the first time they had met, here in this same room. Prancing around as if he had some great purpose and did not deign share it with such common mortals as this Hylian urchin. Simultaneously formal and informal, he always carried himself as a king to small children. Condescending and patronizing.

"I suppose you're surprised to see me here. Did you think I had died in our last conflict? Did you hope that when I vanished, I would not reappear? Did you believe that just because my king is dead, I would give my efforts to rule this land? No. I will try all the more because of it. Not only will I conquer the surface. I will avenge my master by ending you," the pale aristocrat taunted.

Link drew his sword and raised it in a defensive stance as Ghirahim began to circle him. As he sized his opponent up, he made note of several important details. One, he donned the same attire that he had in their very first encounter. That meant that whatever he was planning was still in its infancy. As Ghirahim's plans progress, he prefers to be more and more directly involved. It is as though he is excited by the blood he himself has poured in the water, and cannot help but begin to feed. As this happens, he sheds more and more his his garish garments so as to not restrict his fighting. Two, he was confident. That was bad. From Link's experience, when Ghirahim is flustered and spontaneous it means his plans are falling apart. When he is calm and collected like he was today, however, it means that he is confident in his plans and sure of himself. Given that he was beaten by Link before, his plan must be quite good in his eyes for him to feel so in control. Lastly, he was being very redundant. This was nothing really new or significant, it was just bothering Link to no end. Ghirahim always seemed to feel the need to restate everything three different ways as theatrically as possible. The Hylian saw Ghirahim eyeing his sword and refortified his stance that weakened during his though.

"Ah, what a beautiful item of craft you wield. So elegant! So graceful! So definitely not the accursed blade with which you smote my master," Link's enemy jabbed verbally. "This one here told me that you resealed _that_ blade after your victory. It seams that the current resolution left us both incomplete. I had promised him that I wouldn't kill him if he provided me with some useful information, but by the time he spat that out, I had changed my mind, so I killed him anyway."

The knight let out a battle cry as he charged at the blade spirit, knocking him back with several well placed strokes in quick succession, but ever the showman, the lord recovered gracefully and retaliated orally, "You won't be able to hurt me without my counterpart that you so foolishly removed from your own grasp in you misguided desire to believe that peace had come. I would love to stay and fight you now that your unfair advantage has been removed, but I really must depart. My presence is needed elsewhere, so I bid you farewell." Demise's servant gave a bow and a flourish, glancing up from the trough of his descent to mutter, "I won't surrender just because my leader is down."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving the hero alone with the dead Groose. He didn't wait long before reverently lifting the corpse and setting it into the bed of the invention outside. Using the tools that the deceased boy had left out, planning to return after a short interim but never getting the change, Link cut off the bowl of the catapult and fastened a wooden bar to it via a rope.

The crimson loftwing allowed its master to climb onto its back before it enter the skies, grabbing hold of the rod. In this way they bore Groose's body back to Kakariko, making neither a word nor a crow. The trip was completely silent, save for the soft beating wings of the rider's best friend. For this journey, Link did not sleep. For this journey, Link did not meander. For this journey, Link did not give even a moment's thought to his own troubles. He may not have liked Groose or gotten along with him, but he could not deny that when it mattered most, he had proven himself to be a trustworthy and dependable ally. Although before today Link would have been reluctant to admit that without Groose and his invention he could not have survived his adventures, he would now declare it readily and willingly.

As he descended into the village, the inquisitive questions as to what he was carrying gave way to the same heavy silence that had plagued him on his flight. The entirety of the town, with the exception of some mothers who were keeping their young children away, had gathered at the landing site of the only crimson steed.

After a moment shocked stillness, Zelda asked the burning question, "what happened?"

Link look at her. He looked around at the various faces. He looked at her father, the mayor. Finally, he looked down at the ground and uttered one single word, "Ghirahim."

The weight of that word, the gravity of that name, was not lost on his audience. They had all heard the fantastic story or his adventures below the clouds. They may have scoffed at him or disbelieved him, but the land was just as he described, the tower full as per his story, and Groose and Zelda had both confirmed their roles. So they all knew what this meant.

Link picked up the body of his fallen former classmate and began walking. The crowd followed him, whether out of respect or curiosity unknown, to an alcove behind the mayors house. The hero then set the body down and began to dig. He dug there for over an hour as the town stood quietly by. When had finally finished, it had begun to grow dark. He picked up Groose's cadaver, still in the bowl of the catapult, and lay it in the hole.

He then began to replace the dirt over top of the boy. The sun was disappearing, and one by one, candles and torches, and stars took its place, giving a subdued orange glow to the proceedings. When the grave was finally filled, he took the bar he had cut from the catapult, sharpened its end, and stuck it vertically into the ground.

"Groose was a member of our village who, in the darkest hour our world has yet seen, chose to overcome his fear and put his effort toward helping to keep Skyloft, the location, the people, and the way of life, alive. His efforts culminated in an invention he called 'The Groosenator', which despite its childish name, reflected a maturity he had finally come to reach. This machine save my life. It save everyone's lives. Without Groose and his device, none of us would be here now. That is why it is so fitting that he be buried with it as his casket and his tombstone. It is a testament to his character that we are able to use the pride of his life to remember him and honor him in death."

As the moonless night peered down at the sorrowful village, Link shed a single tear for his longtime rival, and, in the end, friend.

As that tear hit the ground, a zephyr extinguished all of the lights.

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**A/N: ... Anybody else marginally depressed? I never did like Groose much, even after he 'saw the light' as it were, but I do find myself respecting his actions. I feel like Link might be the same way... After all, even something as large as the Sealed Grounds fiascoes wouldn't change the fact that Groose is a rather annoying person. But anyway, after not even giving him the dignity of showing his death, reducing him to being mentioned as dead in the prologue (and not even by name), I felt compelled to let him be kind of the star of a chapter, albeit posthumously. As it turns out****, I did manage to get a little bit of conflict worked into this one for you all.** I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Chapter 3: Nothing is Better

**A/N: Wow. I was gone a while... Hmm. Well, anyway, I'm not done with this story. Life got in the way. WARNING: I'm about to tell you my random personal excuses. Feel freed to skip to the next paragraph now. I was on two different teams participating in academic tournaments, one in Chicago, IL, and one in Sheridan, WY. And then I got my first job, which has very spontaneous hours. I usually write late at night, but I never know when I'll have to get up early, so I have to find other times now. Other than that, I've just been lazy...**

**In response to my reviews, to all of whom I am very grateful:  
This portion is often boring. You may not want to read the response to a comment that you haven't seen. However, these people put in the effort to type a response, helping to keep the story going. So if you read this chapter, at least read their names in recognition of that. Of course, I can't make you, but I would appreciate it.**

**GameHero: My first reviewer. Thanks a ton! In case you've been keeping up, I'd like to tell you I hope I meet your expectations.**

**CaptainRodriguez: They'll be there. I do have a skeleton of a plan to which I expect to stick. It might take a bit. I need a good reason for the characters to come to Hyrule. I decided that for a world that big, there needed to be a better reason for finding it than just stumbling across it one day with it just happening to have been left alone by the whole war up to this point. That's all I'll say for now.**

**Rexien: I'm glad you think it's good. Thank you for that. I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me where I made the errors. I went back over it and found a few, but hardly thoroughly. Of course, I wouldn't mind if didn't want to take the time, but if it's not too much effort, I'd be incredibly appreciative.**

**And with that, the story.**

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**§ Chapter 3: Nothing is Better §**

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Ghirahim sat at the base of the sealed grounds where his master once resided. He had chosen this place to enact the ritual, not for it's sentimental value, but because it was already set up for him. The standards for any arcane ceremony were laid out in permanent form when the Demon King became the imprisoned. Who would have thought that the very weapon used to subdue his leader for so long would become his tool for revenge.

He wasn't ready for the act quite yet. He still needed to prepare some things. For example, the incantation didn't seem right. Well, to be quite honest, it was stupid. He wasn't well versed in whatever language this was, but "scintillant scintillant stellula" didn't seem right. It looked more like a nursery rhyme, actually. Also, he probably should have taken that kid captive instead of just slicing him up, but it had been so pleasant. Now, however, he needed some blood, and his prime candidate had none left. He would prefer to use the princess's or the hero's, but if he had that within his means, he wouldn't be preforming demonic arts of this nature. Well, maybe... but that would just be for fun.

The last part was what worried him. The real incantation would only take a bit of searching in old libraries and ancient ruins. He could steal some claret from some random native of the surface, that is if they even have the precious sanguine water. The Kikwi's probably just have sap or something. The Gorons likely contain molten lava of some sort. He was certain that the pesky robots from Lanayru couldn't help him. Maybe he would need to abduct a Hylian child or something. He wasn't worried about that. He could do it discretely enough to avoid detection.

No, it was the final missing piece that was troubling him the most. He knew for certain that his instructions were accurate. They came directly from his master's court. Ghirahim was _a_ demon lord, not _the_ demon lord. There were many in his master's court. He was the most powerful, and he knew that. That was why he was Demise's sword. He was the blade of evil, equal and opposite to the master sword. But the others still had their uses, and with the King extinguished, he was in charge. While The Demon was only captured, they would not honor his authority. Now, though, they had no choice. In keeping with his new status as the heir to the Demon King, the court scribe, Katib, who also functioned as the librarian and record keeper, was had granted him access to the section of the palace's storage in which all things of the mystic variety were kept. Due to a bit of warranted suspicion on the part of Demise, this specific block was strictly kept to only those with specific, express permission from the king. Inside, he had found a summoning ritual promising a power not seen in Hyrule since its creation.

The instruction contained the basics for a ritual, the standards for a dark art, the key ingredients which he had already gathered, and a reference to a text not contained in the demon archives for the incantation, hence his search for the phrases. Lastly, it called for 'Nothing'. Not 'nothing else', or even just 'nothing', but 'Nothing'. He didn't have a clue what it meant.

* * *

Everything seemed normal on Destiny Islands. As far as most knew, it was. As usual, Sora, Wakka, Selphie, Riku, Kairi, and Tidus were all messing around with whatever activity had caught their interest that particular day. This time, it just so happened that Selphie and Kairi were on the beach laying down, simply enjoying the sun and observing their male companions as they argued.

"Come on!" Tidus implored, apparently turning desperate. "You haven't sparred since you disappeared!"

Wakka joined in the pleading, "considering you wouldn't tell us where you were, we figured you would be getting back to life, but you always make excuses to not fight."

Seeing an opportunity, Tidus pounced, "and it's not like sparring with Wakka is even remotely entertaining. He goes down in less time than it takes Sora to fall asleep."

Riku had decided that they shouldn't tell their friends and families about what happened. His logic was that they could always explain if they needed to. They could never un-tell them if it turned out it was a bad idea.

Because of this, Sora, with all his tact, promptly displayed his expertise in excuse-making, "I, uh, think I might hear my mom calling me to come home to, um, clean my room. Gotta go!"'

"Really? All the way over here you can understand your mom's shouts? And she's calling you in to clean your room like a six-year-old?" Selphie questioned, clearly unconvinced.

"Smooth," Riku said coolly, "nice one, Sora. But seriously, I'm not really in the mood right now."

"Aw, but doesn't it just seem like so much fun?" A heavily sarcastic voice startled a few members of the group.

The trio who hadn't had a multi-world excursion didn't quite know how to react to Lea's sudden appearance. This strange man had been staying with Riku since their friends had returned. He struck them as suspicious, and, as they had discussed, he worried them somewhat. But their friends had assured them, insisted even, that he was a good guy and a friend. Still, his attitude always seemed to get on their nerves.

This time, however, his antics seemed to be working in their favor, or at least Wakka and Tidus's favor. Selphie could care less whether Sora and Riku wanted to swing the toy swords around right now.

"See, even your mysterious friend over there thinks you should!" Tidus exclaimed.

Riku looked over to Sora. He though about it for a minute, before speaking up, "well, what could it really hurt? What do you think, Sora?'

Sora looked backed and smiled with a gleam in his eyes that had, for the most part, been absent since his homecoming. What Riku said had contained more meaning that it let on to those out of the loop. It meant that he was giving ground on the issue of secrecy. Kiari had never been one for secrets, and she had made that clear. She had however, agreed to keeping a few in regard to Riku's urging. This him meant that Riku was leaving it completely up to him whether or not they exposed one of their secrets to their friends. "You're on Riku!"

"Wait, you're gonna fight each other!?" Tidus asked, feeling cheated.

"Are you sure?" sounding a bit disappointed himself.

Riku, calmly as ever, turned to face them and answered, "Here's the deal. If you want us to spar, we will, but we start facing each other. Afterward, if you still want to, I'll fight Wakka, and Sora will fight Tidus. Sound good, Sora?"

"Wait, what do you mean 'if you still want to'? Why wouldn't we?" Wakka inquired.

"Sounds good to me, and you'll see. You may be surprised," the younger keyblade master answered mischievously.

"Aw, man. I was hoping to see one of you take out one of these guys," Lea pouted, as usual, sarcastically.

"Don't be ridiculous, Lea," Riku countered.

"What are you, crazy?" Sora laughed, much to Tidus and Wakka's chagrin.

"Some think so," he causally mentions, "but it's probably more like a bit sadistic."

"No kidding," Riku muttered. "Alright then, Sora. Ready, set, go!"

And they began. And boy, did they put on a show. They were, after all, showing off. Sora pulled out his keyblade in the for of the Dream Sword. Quite the display when compared to the wooden ones they had been using for so long. Riku, true to form, went for a blade that was both practical and intimidating. His Soul Eater, which he no longer used for real combat, fit well for this demonstration. Honestly, it was quite freaky. They went at it and at it until they were both exhausted, with no clear winner emerging. They threw their skills, their magics, their techniques, and anything they could at each other in an all out brawl. While it was fairly even, Tidus thought it seemed like Sora had a bit of an edge over Riku, much to his surprise.

"I don't think we want to fight them, Tidus," Wakka murmured.

Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus were shocked, star-struck even, at this incredible display. Kairi just giggle at their gaping mouths with Lea chuckling at the same.

The common thought between the mesmerized teens as combatants stood gasping,_ when could this have happened!?_

It was then that the seven heard and eighth voice, solemn and wise, and when it spoke, it seemed to have a presence to it that commanded the attention of all present. The octal orator projected, "I see you have opted not to keep your secrets to yourself."

* * *

**A/N: Don't worry! I certainly don't plan on having every battle be completely devoid of detail. I was just bringing the focus to the reactions. I'm sure you can all imagine the battle that might ensue in a scenario like that (provide you're familiar with Kingdom Hearts). However, the details of the battle didn't matter, just the fact that it was going on in front of Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie. I hadn't planned on even really addressing the Kingdom Hearts side of the story for a while, but I decided that considering how quickly I had jumped into some darker elements of the story, I needed to have some sunny summer day type scenes, or this would be a single-mood story, making me a one-trick author. So now you've had a glimpse of how Lea fits into the Destiny Island dynamic. **

**Maybe I should have returned with something a bit less filler-y than this, but hey, I think the plot in inching it's way along at a fairly reasonable pace for the third chapter. See you next time, and I hope you enjoyed this!**

**PS: I have edited some previous chapters. Don't despair, I've only fixed typos (and probably not all of them). No need to reread. But just in case anybody cared.**


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